Whether your website represents a business venture or is purely for personal use, it’s in your best interest to choose a good domain name.
A solid domain name can attract attention from prominent search engines and scores of prospective visitors, whereas a poorly thought-out one is liable to have the opposite effect. If this is your first foray into choosing a domain name, you’d be wise to consider the following tips.
1. Have a List of Backups Ready to Go
When choosing a domain name, it’s important to realize that your first choice has likely been claimed. While it’s true that you may have a chance at purchasing it if the current owner allows their claim on it to expire, this isn’t something you should bank on. With this in mind, find a site that allows you to check available domain names and create a list of suitable backups you can use in the highly probably event that your top pick is spoken for.
2. Be Brief
It’s hard to deny that attention spans have gotten shorter in recent decades. In fact, recent studies suggest that the average human attention span is now eight seconds – which is shorter than that of a goldfish. As such, keep your domain name short – preferably, no more than two words. Looking at some of the web’s most popular sites will reveal a key similarity: they all have one-to-two-word domain names. The longer your name, the harder it will be for people to remember and the more cumbersome it will be for them to type.
3. Don’t Include Hyphens and Numbers
In the quest to keep things brief, take care to avoid hyphens and numbers. Both of these elements make domain names difficult to type and remember which is why many web marketing experts recommend swearing them off altogether. Although some successful sites have domain names that feature hyphens and/or numbers, they represent a small minority – and in all likelihood, your site isn’t going to replicate their success. If you’re convinced that you can incorporate hyphens in numbers in an organic, creative fashion, talk to a seasoned web marketer before making your decision.
What’s in a name? When it comes to web domains, quite a bit! Fortunately, choosing the perfect domain name doesn’t have to be an arduous chore. When considering possible names, the previously discussed pointers are sure to come in handy.